SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — Spokane County Deputy Clay Hilton was fired from the Spokane County Sheriff's Office this week for charges stemming from an incident around a year ago.
KREM 2 News filed a public records request to learn more about what happened last August.
On August 14, 2023, Spokane County Sheriff's Office documents say Clay Hilton was responding to a suspicious vehicle at Terrace View Park, where he interacted with the vehicle's owner, Kevin Hinton.
That interaction ended in a beating, and Hilton has now been charged with assault and false swearing charges.
After a third-party investigation by the Spokane Police Department, they say the interaction led to Hilton striking Hinton multiple times in the head, stomach and kneecaps, both while standing up and sitting down.
Investigation documents say once another deputy arrived on scene, no more force was used.
They go on to say after the altercation, messages between Hilton and a 911 dispatcher show the two discussing what happened during the altercation.
It reads as follows:
Clay Hilton: "Well, that went south fast."
Dispatcher: "Just had to get that last hoorah in there huh?"
Hilton: "Yea… He was a no person. But I think he may have learned a lesson."
Dispatcher: "Oh I am sure he did lol."
Hilton: "Wait for his booking photo."
Tim Note, one of the attorneys representing Hinton, said the year it took to reach Hilton's firing is a common timeframe for investigations within law enforcement.
"Police and sheriffs have really extraordinary union protection compared to most citizens, so these processes going through an internal investigation and being incriminated take time," Note said.
When announcing the firing, Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels released the following statement.
“After reviewing the internal investigation, I believe it clearly showed some members of the Sheriff’s Office, including supervisors, did not live up to the standards of conduct of the Sheriff’s Office during and after this incident," Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said. "I imposed discipline on those members at a level I believe is appropriate, including the significant step of terminating Mr. Hilton’s employment. Additionally, I have made changes to policy, ensuring we appropriately document and review all uses of force. I assure the citizens of Spokane County that we will continue to strive for excellence in our policing and hold ourselves to the high standards they expect. We will also hold accountable those who violate the public’s trust and confidence placed in us as law enforcement professionals.”
KREM 2 asked the Spokane County Sheriff's Office what the changes in reviewing all uses of force entail. They replied with no comment.
Hilton's arraignment is set for later this month.